“The execution was perfect. I had the right guy at the plate. I don’t there is a better execution of fundamentals of the game than Ronny Cedeno. He’s as good as it gets.”
Terry Collins on Cedeno’s fundamentals as reported by Matt Ehalt, ESPNNewYork.com
It is great to hear a manager use the words “execution was perfect” and talk about a player having great execution of fundamentals. Especially if that manager is a part of the New York Mets. Fundamentals have always been an issue with this team for years.
Mets fans have to feel good that at least one player is confirmed to have great fundamentals. It seems that Collins really has a handle on this team. He knows what to do, who to push and when. So here are some things he had to say about a couple of his players.
Whether or not you agree with him, you really cannot complain about the results. He has managed to get this team to do more than anyone thought.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s unbelievable. You just look up, and he’s on base.”
Collins on David Wright as reported by Kieran Darcy, ESPNNewYork.com
“Obviously, we’ve said for the two years I’ve been here [that] he’s got closer stuff. I don’t want the failure side. He already had it once.”
Collins on Bobby Parnell being a closer as reported by Spencer Fordin and Ethan Asofsky, Mets.com
“But right now, I just want to get him back. He’s still a big part of this. I think you see, when we face lefthanded pitching, what a big hole we have in the middle of our lineup without him.”
Collins on the return of Jason Bay as reported by Anthony McCarron, New York Daily News
“What you end up doing is experimenting; and I’m not into experimenting. All’s you’re doing is creating a bigger mess than what you really have and that is maybe let’s see if we can fix the problem first. Let’s see if we can tune up the engine that’s been running right and see how that applies.”
Collins on sticking with Frank Francisco as reported by Jorge Castillo, The Star Ledger
“He said, ‘If somebody gets hit, it should be me,’. And I said, ‘It’s not going to be you. We have enough problems now. So you’re not hitting.’ He’s a pro. He said, ‘Look, I’ll take this for the club.’ Not tonight you’re not.”
Terry Collins on pulling Wright for safety as reported by Mark Hale, New York Post
“The one thing I don’t want to do is turn our bullpen inside out because we have a couple of blown saves. Everybody has blown saves. But if you start changing everybody’s roles, then all of the sudden it’s very uncomfortable for some guys.”
Collins on bullpen as reported by Jeff Bradley, The Star Ledger
“Dan Murphy is a very good hitter. Even this year when he gets into little minor funks that every hitter gets into, he gets out of them in a hurry. He know his swing so well, he gets out of them really fast. The number 3 guys is on, it seems like, every night two or three times. We have to find somebody to start driving him in.”
Collins on Daniel Murphy as reported by Metsblog
I like the quote about Parnell. Trust me, Terry – we don’t want to see that failure side, either!